A Lifetime of Learning / Step inside the new boarding facility at Timaru Boys’ High School
We step inside the new boarding facility at Timaru Boys’ High School.
Almost 140 years since boys began boarding at Timaru Boys’ High School, a significant new development has seen the hostel become a smart contemporary boarding facility. Now boasting a brand new wing of 630 sqm with accommodation for 36 students, Thomas House offers a modern boarding experience befitting a long and proud history.
Ever since its first hostel was built in 1907, boarding has been an integral aspect of Timaru Boys’ High School. Developments over the years reflected the steady growth of the hostel roll and, most recently, in 2005, three units were built to accommodate seniors. But the costs associated with maintaining the older buildings meant further upgrades were becoming a necessity.
For several years ideas brewed until a meeting three and a half years ago in the school library led to the establishment
of the Thomas House Redevelopment Committee. Supported by the Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership Team at the school, the Redevelopment Committee was made up of parents of current students (at the time) who took on the complex and at times gruelling task of bringing redevelopment plans to life. With some of them driving an hour or more just to attend committee meetings, each of them dedicated vast amounts of time to a cause that would benefit current and future students and the wider community in years to come.
Most of the committee members were farmers, used to working independently, making fast decisions and taking immediate action, and they quickly discovered this would be a very different experience. Though the project was not funded by the Ministry of Education, they would nonetheless be required to follow the Ministry’s guidelines – a process
The community took a creative approach to fundraising which included a cattle-raising scheme — generating $100,000 in the process.
which can be time-consuming. Says Colin Murdoch, Chairman of the Redevelopment Committee, ‘It was an eyeopener for many.’
And then came the arrival of three significant donations, a kick-start to funding efforts and a signal giving them the confidence to proceed: Peter Lewis, a former student of Timaru Boys’ High and the founder of Fairview Aluminium (later Fairview Systems), ex-schoolteacher Bruce Leadley and ex-matron Betty Manning all made generous contributions. So, a fundraising target of $800,000 was set and the school and its supporters began the task of raising money, taking a creative approach which included a cattle-raising scheme – some parents donated calves and other parents raised them – generating $100,000 in the process.
Mostly self-funded when it comes to day-to-day running, Thomas House has strong numbers of boarders and produces a reasonable income. This turned out to be a key factor in the Ministry of Education putting its support behind the development. ‘They were happy to look at [the] proposal seriously when they knew it was for existing numbers.’
With funding coming together, building plans began to take shape. Ideas that it would be ‘like building a big house’ dissolved as it became apparent that the Ministry guidelines – and budget limitations – would add to the complexity of the project. The Redevelopment Committee was fortunate to have the assistance of Peter Fenwick at the Ministry of Education, who was supportive of their project, but the process still took longer than anticipated. ‘For a while it was two steps forward and one step back.’
Bringing Logic Group on board as project managers was a game-changer: their experience enabled them to drive the plan towards completion. David McBride Architect was chosen to design the new building, though the constraints of budget and regulations meant for very specific parameters.
The build, carried out by Timaru Construction, had to be simple, with an emphasis on quality construction that would stand the test of time and practical design features such as a mudroom and a soundproofed sick bay next to the Housemaster’s accommodation. The result includes 18 warm twin bedrooms, two modern bathrooms, a light and bright common room and sleek kitchenette, plus the Housemaster’s suite, with Wi-Fi throughout the building, of course!
Sadly, one of the original benefactors of the project and the namesake of the building, Peter Lewis, passed away before the project was completed, but his wife Jean officially opened the building on Friday 8 March 2019. The boys have now moved in and are relishing their comfortable new accommodation, and the committee members have gone back to their ‘day jobs’, although, says Colin, despite the challenges, ‘I quite enjoyed the project in the end, especially when you see the building at the end of it all.’ With hard work and perseverance, the Redevelopment Committee and school supporters have written another chapter in the proud history of Timaru Boys’ High.
The boys have now moved in and are relishing their comfortable new accommodation.